Devotion to superheroes the cult of the film fanatic
Marvel’s latest movies may have bombed but these franchises tap into a quasi-religious fervour.
Film
Has Gerard Depardieu finally been cancelled?
The French actor’s reputation is in tatters as numerous women accuse him of sexual violence and a TV documentary exposes his misogyny in public
Love Story star Ryan O’Neal dead at 82
The death of the actor, also known for his relationship with Farrah Fawcett, was announced on Instagram by his son.
‘Am I out of the woods now? I don’t think I am’
Ballet supremo Li Cunxin faced down his mortality after he fainted suddenly and was airlifted off Hayman Island last year. What happens when the mind is willing but the body – once limber and powerful – is not?
‘I don’t see why films can’t have sex’
In an era where there is less and less intimacy in films, Tony McNamara’s Poor Things arrives practically throbbing with desire.
The agony and ecstasy of a man who lived for music
In Maestro, Bradley Cooper is the Jewish American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. This is a film you’ll think about long after the credits roll.
Women made them, the world is watching
In front of and behind the camera, women are propelling Australian television series onto the global stage.
How Django Unchained inspired the years’ most chaotic Christmas film
Thirty years after the release of Boomerang, director Reginald Hudlin and Eddie Murphy reunite for a festive film determined to “mess with” its audience.
‘What’s Christmas without a little terror?’
The best scenes in this Eddie Murphy Christmas comedy have nothing to do with Christmas – and the film’s real star is Tracee Ellis Ross.
Loach calls time on feature directing
The story of a poor mining community in northeast England and the arrival of refugees from Syria is the last major film from renowned director Ken Loach.
‘Turn it up’: glorious return plagued by terrible sound
On Saturday night in Sydney, the Tennessee band Paramore played the largest headlining show of their 20-year career. What a shame nobody could hear them.
Scream star cut from film over Palestine comments
Actor Melissa Barrera has been ousted from her leading role in the upcoming Scream VII for sharing content that crossed “the line into hate speech.”
Pulling beers at a remote hotel sets tension for outback noir
Two young backpackers get a job at a pub in a mining town – and plenty of unwanted male attention – in new psychological thriller The Royal Hotel.
Sarandon dropped by talent agency after pro-Palestine speech
‘There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country,’ the Oscar-winner said.
Iranian film dances with danger
“If you are worried that filmmakers take few risks any more, make the time to pop into the Iranian Film Festival Australia, which has returned after not being possible in 2022 amid government crackdowns in Iran,” writes Stephen Romei.
Quiz Lady, a cast for a good laugh
This slapstick light entertainment works because of the zingers in the script and the fine performances of all of the well-cast actors.
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon epic is spectacular
From beheadings to imperious outbursts and brutal conjugal encounters, Joaquin Phoenix captivates as the Emperor.
“I considered him family” Kidman to honour Walsh with AACTA trophy
The actor will fund an award recognising emerging talent at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards.
A lush and lurid story of class, desire, obsession and immense, absurd wealth
Saltburn, the new psychological thriller by Emerald Fennell, up-ends the idea of the period film.
‘Superhero fatigue’ sets in as Marvel flounders at box office
Marvel’s latest superhero film has suffered a box-office collapse, raising fears that cinema audiences have grown tired of a genre that has dominated Hollywood for more than a decade.
Aussie cult classics given a free platform
A streaming service dedicated to unearthing hard-to-find Australian films and television shows will make its debut nationwide this month.
Saltburn a potent tale of class, wealth, family, love and sex
Barry Keoghan is outstanding as a Oxford University scholarship boy who spends the holidays at a rich friend’s Brideshead-like estate that feels like one big exotic rule-breaking party.
‘Growing up in Mount Druitt, there were three options: footy, the factory, or crime’
The formidable Pacific Islander drill crew Onefour are the subjects of a moving new Netflix documentary.
Actors sign deal to get cameras rolling
SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, reached a tentative deal with entertainment companies that will end the longest strike in Hollywood history.
Bonded by blood and creativity
Lina Soualem and her actor mother Hiam Abbass have made a documentary about their cultural heritage, starting a discussion about films and creative families.
Brando and me: ‘I felt someone kissing my back’
When Barbra Streisand agreed to an interview with Ed Potton, nothing was off the table. But her book goes to a place even they didn’t reach – Marlon Brando
‘In this country, we’re not good at celebrating our heroes’
Emmy-nominated director Sally Aitken talks about the ‘radical optimism’ of The Wiggles, who are the subject of her latest documentary.
Australia’s answer to ‘Tiger King’ is a global hit
Netflix’s latest true-crime hit has the world talking about this one outback Aussie town and the 2017 disappearance of Patrick ‘Paddy’ Moriarty. Who killed him?
Husband replaced by AI replica in dystopian drama
Irish stars Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan are a married couple confronting a terrifying prospect in Australian Garth Davis’s Foe.
Gangster’s impossible decision
Bring Him to Me opens with a driver receiving a text message from the mob boss. “The kid has f–ked us. Drive him here. We’ll do the rest.” Problem is, the kid has a three-year-old daughter.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/film/page/15